Streaming content via mobile devices is set to rocket, with a new report from Juniper Research suggesting that users streaming TV on their smartphones will hit 240 million by the year 2014.

Everyone will watch mobile TV by 2014

According to the report, the growth will come from the double whammy of natural growth of the smartphone market, and the explosive growth in internet and IPTV services available. The research says that because of the proliferation of internet TV, video-on-demand and catch-up TV , users are able to take the TV content wherever they go by placeshifting, and schedule their own programming.

The push of ‘TV Everywhere’ use with apps like HBO Go, coming from pay-TV suppliers will also keep subscribers and attract users from online services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Another big factor contributing to the growth includes time critical content like news and sports that viewers don’t want to watch later. Live events such as these allow mobile TV users to watch events as they happen.

Free Wi-Fi is also a factor in the growth, Charlotte Miller, author of the report author said, “The ubiquity of free WiFi also allows users of these services to access content without the threat of ‘billshock’ – driving take up of streamed mobile TV services across all WiFi-enabled mobile devices.”

The report is basic common sense. If you could take your TV viewing with you, wherever you happen to be, everyone would use a smartphone as a second or third TV screen.